The Ministry of Education has published the official 2026 school calendar for all educational institutions of basic education in the nation, releasing key opening, closing, and examination dates for the forthcoming academic year.
The signed calendar by Principal Secretary Julius Bitok will take effect in pre-primary, primary, junior, senior, and secondary schools, as well as teacher training colleges with diploma awards.
Schools will re-open on January 5, 2026, for Term One and re-close on April 2, 2026, after 13 weeks of classwork, as contained in the October 9, 2025, circular. The pupils will, thereafter, enjoy a three-week break before going back to school for Term Two on April 27, 2026.
The students and the teachers will also enjoy a half-term break between February 25, 2026, and March 1, 2026, during the first term.
The second term will run for 14 weeks and close on July 31, 2026. The schools will be off for a three-week August holiday from August 3 to August 21, 2026. The ministry also organized a half-term break between June 24 and June 28, 2026.
The third term shall begin on August 24, 2026, and shall run for nine weeks to conclude on October 23, 2026. National examinations shall then commence immediately at different levels of the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC).
Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) shall take place from October 26 to October 29, 2026, and also the Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) and the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA).
The Kenya Pre-Vocational Level Education Assessment (KPLEA) will commence subsequently from November 2, 2026.
KCSE Examination Timetable
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations are set to commence from November 2, 2026, and end on November 20, 2026. The students will then depart for the long December holiday, running for 10 weeks, starting October 26 to January 1, 2027.
Teacher Training Colleges
For diploma teacher training colleges, Term One will run from January 6 to April 2, 2026. Term Two will run from April 27 to July 31, 2026, and Term Three from August 24 to November 6, 2026. The colleges will then break for the December holidays from November 9, 2026, to January 1, 2027.
No Visits During Third Term
The ministry maintained the three-term calendar and retained the ban on school visits during the third term in an effort to avert encroachment on the period for the national examination.
PS Bitok directed all regional, county, and sub-county directors of education to ensure that the circular is distributed in all learning institutions within their jurisdiction.
